Gameology: Commentary and Resources for the Game Studies Community

Really interesting review... It's quite unusual when a book (or movie, game, etc.) makes one have a "Eureka!" moment.

Puzzles in GAGs need to be inherently logical in the game's setting itself and ideally should push the plot forward in some way. Even the simple puzzle of using a key to open a door allows the player to make the avatar explore new areas in the game, giving them more incentive to play the game.

Ultimately a GAG needs to make the player care about the various NPCs in the game (or the overall plot, for that matter) in order to convince them that beating all these (seemingly) random puzzles is going to be worth the time investment.

Of course, this brings to mind how should one advance the plot in a GAG? What is the perfect length to a cut-scene? These are rhetorical questions with answers that vary in the eye of the beholder, but interesting ones nonetheless.